Harry Potter and the Heir of Merlin
by dragynshart
Summary: Its Harry and friends 7th year at Hogwarts. whos the new girl and why does she seem so important?
1. Nightmares

Disclaimer: None of the characters from the Harry Potter Books belong to me...  
  
They belong to J.K. Rowling and always will....  
  
  
  
Harry Potter sat up in bed, his hand clutching at his forehead. The nightmare that had woken him up was receding fast, but not the memory of the frightened feeling that had seemed to plague his sleep for the past few weeks. He reached for his glasses on the bedside table and slipped them on. Blinking to clear his eyes, the room slowly came into focus. The clock on the night table read 2:54 in bright red numbers. He took a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to slow his racing heart. He swung his feet out of bed and stumbled over to his dresser and mirror.  
  
Bright green eyes stared out of a pale face covered by Ebony hair. Stiff from sleep, his hair was worse than usual, sticking up all over his head. He ran his hand over it, pulling it off his face. A small scar in the shape of a lightening bolt stood out on his forehead looking dark red in comparison to his pale face. It looked insignificant but it was this scar that made Harry famous.  
  
You see, Harry was no ordinary person, not by any means. He was in fact a wizard. He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was about to enter his seventh and last year there.  
  
Pushing himself away from the dresser, he walked to his desk and sat down and turned on his desk lamp, pulling a piece of parchment, a quill, and some ink towards him at the same time. He thought about writing to his friend and mentor, Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts and lead player in the fight against Lord Voldemort, but quickly changed his mind, sure that his nightmare was nothing to be concerned about.  
  
Instead he began to dash out a note to his best friend, Ron Weasley.  
  
Ron,  
  
How's it going? Not too bad here. The Dursley's aren't being too horrible.. They pretty much just ignore me. What do you think the chances are of me being able to come and stay at your house for the rest of the summer? Think you mum and dad would go for it?  
  
Have you talked to Hermione lately? Haven't heard from her since she left to go to Egypt... Hope she's having fun.  
  
Ok, well, that's all for now. Let me know what your parents think!  
  
Later,  
  
1 Harry  
  
  
  
Harry rolled up his letter and tied it with a string, then placed it to the side so it would be ready to go when his owl, Hedwig, came back from hunting.  
  
He turned out the light and crawled back into bed, pulling the covers over him. Pulling off his glasses, he placed them on his table. The numbers on the clock now read 3:17.  
  
Closing his eyes, he laid his head down on the pillow and tried to think of his friends. His last thought before he fell asleep again, was of Ron and Hermione, and his wish that he would be allowed to stay with Ron the rest of the summer vacation.  
  
  
  
A/N: ok guys, read and review if you would... please, no flames... Only constructive criticism 


	2. Saved

Disclaimer: Once again, none of the Harry Potter characters belong to me.  
  
A/N: thanks to those who reviewed :O)  
  
  
  
Harry woke up for the second time that morning, but not to the throbbing of his scar, rather to the pounding and screeching of his aunt.  
  
"Wake up! Get out of bed!" Aunt Petunia stood on the other side of the door, yelling at him to get up. "I want you downstairs in five minutes. It's my Dudders birthday and I want everything perfect for him! Do you understand!"  
  
Harry shook his head and rolled out of bed. "Ok Aunt Petunia." He crossed to the dresser and began to pull out clothes for the day. As he began to get dressed, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His face was no longer pale from the night before. Like the rest of him, it was tan from working outside the past few weeks. Gone was the small, skinny boy from years ago. Harry had grown and gained muscles. His thick black glasses were gone, broken last year. In their place were thin metal rimmed glasses, still in black, but much nicer.  
  
Harry sighed and finished getting dressed. He was just about to leave when a large white owl flew into the room through the window. Hedwig landed in the bed, dropping a familiar looking letter before flying over to Harry and landing on his shoulder. She nipped his ear lightly in greeting. He laughed softly and ran his hand over her back.  
  
"Hey girl," he said. Hedwig had been a present to him from his friend Hagrid when he had turned 11 years old, the same year he had found out he was a wizard. She had been with him ever since.  
  
He walked over to the empty cage on his desk and let her fly into it. Leaving the door open in case she wanted to leave, he made his way to the bed and the letter on it. He tore it open and eased the letter out. It was the letter from Hogwarts.  
  
Hogwarts School of  
  
Witchcraft and Wizardry  
  
Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. Of Wizards)  
  
Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
Enclosed is the list of all the necessary books and equipment you will need for your seventh year. Please note the addition of dress robes to the list. Hogwarts will be holding a ball and all 3rd year students and above may attend.  
  
Term Begins on September 1. We look forward to seeing you again.  
  
Yours Sincerely,  
  
Minerva McGonagall  
  
Minerva McGonagall,  
  
Deputy Headmistress  
  
Harry read over the note before letting it fall to the bed, looking at the other piece of parchment enclosed. On it was the list of books he needed for his 7th year and the new equipment he required. And there at the bottom of the page was the dress robes. Harry groaned. This couldn't be good. He remembered all too well his 4th year and the dance then. He had been embarrassed beyond belief at having to attend because he couldn't dance.  
  
Harry dropped the remaining parchment on the bed and left the room, heading downstairs and towards the kitchen. His uncle glanced up and grunted at him, his form of saying hello, and went back to reading his paper. His aunt noticed him in the door way and said, "Took you long enough to join us. Now get over here and start cooking the bacon. I want it crisp, perfect for Dudders birthday, do you hear me boy?"  
  
Harry turned to the stove and rolled his eyes. "Yes Aunt Petunia." Every year it was the same, Harry make the breakfast for Dudders, Harry serve the food, Harry clear the food. It never changed.  
  
Suddenly the house shook. What sounded like an elephant pounded down the stairs. A large boy, roughly the size of a small killer whale squeezed through the doorway and into the kitchen.  
  
Uncle Vernon jumped out of his chair and grabbed his son in a bear hug. "Happy Birthday Dudley. You ready for your big day?"  
  
Dudley wasn't paying any attention to his father; he was busy counting his presents. He looked like he was straining himself. When he finished, he nodded and sat down, the chair creaking under his weight. Around Dudleys 5th year at Smeltings, Vernon and Petunia had decided to take Dudley off his diet. While Harry still didn't get much food, he was eating better now. That and the fact that Mrs. Weasley, Ron's mother kept sending him little snacks to keep him going.  
  
While Dudley began to rip into his presents, Harry began to serve the food. Taking his place at the table, he had just started to eat when there came a commotion for the living room. Harry jumped up and ran inside, pulling out his wand. He had started to carry it with him in his pocket at all times. With Voldemort getting stronger everyday, it made him feel a little safer knowing he had some what of protecting himself if he was attacked.  
  
However, it wasn't Voldemort or a team of Death Eaters that greeted him when he ran into the living room. Four people stood in the middle of the room, covered in ash and soot. Dust and dirt was settling around the room and pieces of wood were drifting down from the ceiling. All four people had red hair and freckles. One of them stepped forward and pulled Harry into a hug. "Hiya Harry!" Harry's best friend Ron was happy to see him. The other three straitened their robes. Rons father Arthur Weasley smiled at Harry before turning to the mess. With a swish of his wand and a small spell, the room was suddenly clean again. The other two boys walked over to Harry and pounded him on the back. "Alright there Harry?"  
  
Fred and George were Ron's older brothers. Identical twins, they had caused a lot of mischief during their days at Hogwarts.  
  
Harry laughed in delight. "Don't think I'm not glad to see, but what are you doing here." So caught up in his friends arrival, he failed to notice Uncle Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley standing in the doorway, mouths open and staring.  
  
Ron smiled widely. "We've come to get you! You're gonna stay the rest of the summer with us at the manor." The Weasleys had once lived in an eccentric house called the Burrow but when the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge had been killed in an attack, Mr. Weasley had been named the new minister and they had moved into the Ministers manor.  
  
Mr. Weasley turned to the twins. "Why don't you two go and get Harry's things. Then we can get on our way."  
  
The twins grinned at each other and then ran out of the room. It was when Harry's family backed away quickly from the advancing twins that Harry realized they were there. Harry ignored them for the moment. He could hear Dudley whining in the back, "Mum, make them leave. They're ruining my birthday." Harry tuned him out and turned back to Mr. Weasley and shook the hand he was holding out. "How's it going Mr. Weasley? Everything good at the ministry?"  
  
"Well, it's not the best of places right now, but it could be worse. How's everything here?" He leaned closer. "Are the muggles treating you okay?"  
  
Harry looked at his aunt and uncle and shrugged. "It hasn't been too bad so far. At least they don't lock me up anymore. "  
  
Uncle Vernon was slowly turning red in the face. If you looked closely enough you could almost make out the steam coming from his ears. "That's it! Get out of my house! And take that, that boy with you."  
  
Harry, used to this already, was not startled and looked over in amusement. Dudley was trying to hide behind his mother but it wasn't working. He had his hands over his bottom, still scared from the first time he had met a wizard. When Hagrid had first come to get Harry, he had cursed Dudley and a pigs tail had grown out of his bottom.  
  
Arthur looked on in pity. Such horrible muggles to have raised such an amazing wizard. He breathed a sigh of relief when the twins came back down the stairs. Between them they carried Harrys trunk and belongings. Hedwig's cage sat on top, empty of the bird. Harry looked at Fred and George in question.  
  
Fred smiled at him and said, "We let her out so that she can fly to our house. Figured she wouldn't enjoy a ride through the fireplace."  
  
Harry smiled his thanks, happy that the twins had thought ahead. Mr. Weasley clapped his hands. "All ready? Good. Ok, Fred, you and George go through first with Harry's trunk."  
  
The twins pulled Harry's trunk to the fireplace, threw in some powder, stepped in and shouted "Ministers Manor!" Next went Ron with a grin for Harry. With a shout he was gone. Harry turned to the Dursley's.  
  
Vernon glared and said, "After this year you're done. Don't bother coming back here. There will be no room for you."  
  
Mr. Weasley stared in amazement. That was one of the most horrible things he had ever heard.  
  
Harry only shook his head and smiled. "Do you really think I would want to come back? Do you think I stayed here by choice?" Uncle Vernon's face grew redder and redder until it was almost purple.  
  
"Get out! Get out of my home!" Vernon exploded, picking up anything lying near him and began to throw it at the two wizards. Harry jumped into the fire and shouted out his destination, his last glimpse of his aunt and uncle in a rage. He spun round and round until he made it to the manor and spilled out onto the floor. 


	3. Home

A/N: ok, really really really sorry it took so long to get this chapter out... between college and then work and then back to college I am only now finding time to write again so here goes. BTW, I own nothing, JK Rowling is God and owns it all.. Now, on to the story!  
  
Harry found himself starting at the floor in front of the fireplace. And a very nice floor it was. Two people reached down and grabbed him, pulling him off the floor and onto his feet. Brushing the soot off of his clothes, he glanced around and smiled at everyone. Fred and George were covered in soot and a glance in the mirror that was atop the fireplace mantle showed that trying to get the dirt off his own clothes had done little good. He shrugged, decided it was a lost cause, and turned to where the twins and Ron where standing. He smiled and looked around the entrance way. "Wow, pretty fancy place you got here.." He turned in a circle as he looked around him. He faced Ron who had a giant grin on his face. "Well, I guess I don't have to ask if you are happy here," He said smiling. "Come on Harry, Mom will want to know you are here," Ron said and grabbed his arm, pulling him down the hallway. "She's in the kitchen. We can't persuade her to give up cooking even though we have a cook. She says that if she gives that up she will have nothing to do but sit around and twiddle her thumbs." Harry just smiled as the made their way to the kitchen. As they passed the portraits on the wall, he noticed that the people in the pictures were pointing at his forehead, more specifically, at his scar. Even though he was used to it, it still annoyed him to some extent so he was glad when the finally reached the kitchen. The kitchen in the manor was very different from the one at the burrow. Instead of being small and cluttered, it was huge and had every commodity known to man, including some that were of muggle origin. Yet it still had that same homey feeling to it so perhaps that was what made Harry feel all warm inside when he walked through the door. At an island in the middle of the room a short, plump red headed woman stood with her hands in a giant bowl, mixing something that smelled delicious. At the sound of their entrance she looked up and broke into a smile. "Harry dear! You made it! I wasn't sure what time you were going to get here what with those horrible muggles you lived with." She took her arms out of the bowl and rushed to his side intending on giving him a hug but at the look of terror on his face she realized that she had dough and flower all over her arms. "Oh, dear me, sorry Harry, I would hug you but I suppose you don't want dough all over you." She frowned and looked him over. "Although I don't suppose it would matter what with all that dirt you have all over you." Turning her frown on the twins and Ron, she placed her hands on her hips, forgetting the dough for a moment. "And you three!! I would think you three would know how not to get so dirty traveling with floo powder. Ok, the lot of you! Upstairs, showers, now! And I don't want to see you again until you are sparkling clean!" She nodded her head in a final way and smiled. "Glad to have you back Harry. Now go!" The boys trudged upstairs, giving Harry a tour of the house as they went. "That's the parlor!" "That's the dining room! It's almost as big as the one at Hogwarts! Well, not really, but pretty close!" "That's the library! Can you believe it?! Who would want a library in their house is beyond me.." At last they made it to the bed rooms. Ron stopped and opened one door. "This is your room Harry. It will be yours when you are here, you get a permanent one!" The walls were painted a Dark Green and the bed coverings where velvet, Dark Green as well. On one wall hung a large painting that was currently empty. When he asked who was in it he was told that the famous wizard Merlin lived there. "Oh," he replied. Ron, Fred, and George backed towards the door. "We're gonna go change and get cleaned up. Meet us outside for some quidditch when you are done. Wait until you see the backyard, its huge!" Harry smiled at them as the shut the door and then headed for a door across the room that led to the bathroom. He took a long hot shower and then changed into clean clothes before heading downstairs. The rest of the day passed quickly with quidditch, good food, chess and the traditional trading of stories of what had gone on over the summer. He found out that Ginny was staying at a friend's house for a few days and would be back the next day. Soon it was time for bed and Harry climbed the stairs wearily. He waved to Ron whose room was across the hall and shut his door. He noticed that Hedwig had returned at some point during the day but she was sleeping and he didn't want to wake her up. Quietly he took off all of his clothes but his boxers, climbed into bed, and turned off the light. He smiled into the darkness. This day couldn't have gotten any better. He was with the Weasleys, he was home. 


End file.
